Saturday, September 26, 2015

Review of Truly Victorian Ripple skirt TV296 and Eaton Jacket TV498 with gigot sleeves TV495. The RIPPLE skirt goes together easily. But don't think this is a quick project because of the simple lines. The skirt is underlined and has a hem facing. Because of this, the hem will need to be sewn by hand. A true fabric hog. I cut out my usual size (36 waist). What is nice is that she tells you what the finished hem length will be (42 inches) Too long for me. You need to make your alterations to length before you draft your hem facings. I did get into some trouble there. My length adjustments still left it too long, not on the front panel but the sides to back. Also there is some bias involved so you will want to let your skirt hang before you hem it. I decided to let it hang on my mani overnight and then just trimmed at the hem to the proper length. Not fun, but it all worked out ok. I was not able to use the drafted hem facings because they wouldn't fit anymore due to my length adjustments. So I ordered some 6 inch wide horsehair braid to use as my facing. It worked great. The skirt has a length of twill tape from sides to back that hold the ripples in shape. You will need to pin and drape to get the ripples just so. This was a fun skirt to make. Bear in mind you are hauling around a tremendous lot of fabric. There is 6 yards of sweep at the hem. My skirt weighs almost 4 pounds. I used a midweight cotton double weave. It looks like wool but is all cotton. I don't know when I will make another one. I would like one in black but may just go with the walking skirt for that. EATON Jacket, fun to make! I cut my usual TV sizes G back H front. Did my standard adjustments. There were no surprises. Goes together quickly. It is fully lined. I chose the large GIGOT sleeve from the TV495 patterns. You will want to make a muslin because the lower sleeve is very tight. I added an inch to the width in mine. These sleeves are very bulky and heavy. You will need lots of netting and I even put in an extra header of crinoline (looks like buckram). Because the sleeves were so heavy I also added shoulder pads because my shoulder was collapsing and it looked sloppy. Between those pads and the extra header it made a huge difference. Looking at the back of the jacket I could have padded out the upper shoulder area where those wrinkles are. In Joi Mahon's fitting book she talks about padding out when alterations aren't going to do enough. Like in this case with very heavy sleeves.Side note the corset belt is TV492. Easy to make. Right now I have ribbon lacing but I will probably trade it out at some point. The sleeveless blouse is Wingeo 1890s blouse. Runs HUGE! But I like the gathered front. Hat is a Lynn McMasters pattern. I am very happy with my outfit. I will be wearing this to the Steamposium tomorrow.

Beneath it all, 2 petticoats, chemise, corset. I could use one more petticoat but I don't have the time. Not gonna sweat it though!

Wednesday, September 9, 2015

Three patterns from the Mantua Maker. I will start with the corset cover. There are lots of corset cover patterns around. This one looked easy enough, so I just ran with it. Consider the first one of these you make your wearable muslin. Her sizing runs XS-XL. However this pattern has large seam allowances for fitting. It runs really really large. You want a close fit with minimal ease. I cut the size large knowing I would probably take it in a bit. I did cut the shoulders at size medium because most shoulder straps are too long for me. I still had to take another inch off the shoulders. However, this is a Mimi problem not a pattern problem. After basting all the seams together I had to take it in quite a bit on every seam. But I was expecting this. It went together fairly fast. Her directions are wordy and she gives you several options on seam finishing. Her favorite being historically accurate. Yeah....not gonna happen. The neckline is very low and square, front and back. And the length is fairly short. So if you are tall or long waisted you may want to lengthen it. I think I could have saved some fitting time by just cutting out the size medium. But live and learn. I did go back and make pattern revisions so next time it will go even quicker.

Second up is the Mantua Maker's 1880s-1890s petticoat. This is meant to be worn over your chemise and drawers but under your corset. It is meant to be shorter than your outer petticoats. More of an underskirt, really. I am not wearing it this way in my picture because I wanted to show more of the skirt. It does give some extra volume to the bottom of your skirts and adds warmth during the colder months. I made mine out of some stiff silk and used a pleated vintage trim for the bottom ruffle. The "A" line skirt panels are sewn to a yoke and just use a drawstring closure. The yoke is fitted and doesn't add much bulk. I have made this before in cotton. It sews up easily and makes a good work horse underskirt.

Last but not least, Mantua Maker's Victorian 1870s-1890s chemise. A nice pattern, easy to sew. I made the easy rounded neck version and trimmed it with lace. I did not have to use the godet piece for the back. If you have larger hips you will want to. I cut the size large except for the shoulders which I cut to size medium. I also made this one shorter in length. It hits me right above mid thigh. I don't like a lot of excess fabric stuffed in my drawers. All in all a good little pattern.

I made this skirt earlier this year and hadn't reviewed it yet. This is the lovely wash overskirt by Truly Victorian patterns. The skirt turned out perfectly and I do want to make it again. You can make it with or without the front apron. I used a cotton shirting that had been in my stash forever. The wash over skirt is so called because the sides are gathered with inner lacings that you can let out when you want to wash it. It went together quickly and without issues. It does take up a bit of fabric, but the end result is worth it. I cut the size based on my hip measurement (44). I made no changes to the pattern. This is worn over TV101 bustle and two petticoats. The underskirt is TV261-R The blouse is sort of a wearable muslin/frankenpattern whose neckline is gaping and way too low. So for the photos I threw on a fichu. I did work out the fitting issues of said muslin. I just need to make a new version.

My only regret is not lining the back panel with netting. It falls flat so I had to make an ugly net bustle pad to compensate for the flat fabric. I wear it on top of my bustle and petticoats. I used netting instead of a pillow pad because netting crushes and I can sit and lean back if I want to. Pillows don't allow for that.

About Me

About me. I am a 40 something wife and mom of boys. I have been sewing on and off for over 25 years. Everything from quilts to clothing. I also dabble in mixed media and knitting. But this blog will really be sewing focused. I make both modern and historical clothing. I am an old soul and very fond of the late Victorian bustle area. I also adore the mid to late 18th century. I have just started to dabble in Regency as well.